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March 23, 2012

New iPhone To Include Large 4.6-inch Display: Report

by editor

Apple's new iPhone will feature a larger, sharper 4.6-inch "retina display", Reuters reported on Wednesday citing a media report by South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper.

The newspaper attributed the rumor to a tip from an "unnamed industry source". According to the source, Apple is set to launch the new iPhone during the second quarter, and has already started placing orders with its display suppliers -- LG Display and Samsung.

LG Display and Samsung Electronics declined to comment on the matter, Reuters said.

It is widely expected that the next iteration of the iPhone would come with a larger screen. Indeed, a 4.6-inch screen would be a dramatic increase from the current 3.5-inch display. A second quarter product launch would also be consistent the launch dates of previous versions of the iPhone, with the exception the iPhone 4S, which was introduced last October.

The Apple-centric Web site MacRumors was skeptical of the Maeil Business report, calling the rumor about the larger display size “questionable” and “hard to believe,” although acknowledging that a 4-inch screen is still possible.

“Apple has been consistent by offering the same screen size (3.5") across five generations of iPhones, so any change would be notable,” the report read.

“The reason this particular claim seems most dubious, however, is the fact that it comes from an otherwise unknown Korean media source with no track record.”

Meanwhile, Apple is also reportedly considering offering additional screen sizes for some of its tablets and laptops, PCMag reported recently, citing an unnamed Samsung official who reportedly told The Korea Times that Apple is planning to launch a smaller iPad by year-end.

According to the source, the smaller iPad would include a 7.85-inch display, notably smaller than the current 9.7-inch iPad screen.